To install Google’s Music Manager just double-click on the .deb file you downloaded and follow the prompts. Once done, open the Dash, search for Music Manager, and open it to get started.

The app has a number of small but useful preferences, including:

Choose upload directory/file

Auto-uploading

Bandwidth allocation

Download your entire library from the cloud

Indicator Menu

A few things to note:

Music Manager will not work in a virtual machine

Uploading only happens when the Music Manager app is running

Uploading a large collection will take time, so be patient

Apps for Playback

With your music collection safely transmuted into the cloud the next step knowing how to play them back.

No matter what OS you’re in you can always access your music by pointing a web-browser @ play.google.com/music.

If you’re using an Android or iOS device you’ll find Google Music apps in their respective app stores.

But in Ubuntu there is another option: a desktop music app called ‘Nuvola’.

Nuvola integrates Google Play Music into the Ubuntu desktop. This means you can use your keyboard media keys to control playback; the Ubuntu Sound Menu displays track information; notification bubbles appear, etc.

Installing Nuvola Player in Ubuntu

As Nuvola isn’t available from the Ubuntu Software Center you will need to add a PPA – a ‘personal package archive’ – to your system before you can install it.

The quickest way to do this is using the Terminal, using the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nuvola-player-builders/stable

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install nuvolaplayer

After installation has completed launch ‘Nuvola‘ from the Dash, and select ‘Google Play Music’ from the app’s selection screen.